Fleet Management

Professional Fleet Management - from the scope of duties to effective cost management.

Fleet management generally includes the administration, organisation and control of all types of fleet or pool vehicles used for commercial or non-profit purposes.

Typically, fleets can be found in the following industries and sectors:

• logistics companies
• delivery services
• Nursing services and patient transport
• Cities and municipalities
• as well as companies and institutions of all kinds that have an increased need for mobility

The terms fleet management, fleet control, mobility management or pool vehicle management are often used synonymously for fleet management. However, there are some differences between managing fleet vehicles or company cars and managing pool vehicles.

The regular tasks and duties of a fleet manager usually include the following activities:

Management and administration:

• the organisation of fleet insurance
• negotiating with contractual and cooperation partners such as leasing providers or workshops
• vehicle management, which may cover the following areas:
• Risk and claims management
• Schedule control and task management
• tire management
• Service & Maintenance
• fuel card management

Cost management:

• the procurement of vehicles
• controlling, reporting and optimization of fleet utilization and utilization

Legal:

• the carrying out of driving licence controls
• compliance with and documentation of the owner's liability
• Create and conclude transfer contracts
• the observance and control of drivers' rest periods and driving times
• Compliance with accident prevention regulations

In addition, fleet managers of companies with a shared car pool are also entrusted with the organisation and management of the booking, use and return of the pool vehicles.

As digitalisation has also found its way into fleet management, fleet managers are increasingly faced with new fields of activity and challenges. Mobility management, for example, is increasingly referred to as the strategic organisation of a company's mobility needs. In addition to the administration and organisation of the fleet, this also includes controlling and reporting. In this way, possible errors can be detected and corrected at an early stage and the company's goals can be controlled and implemented.

A fleet manager's everyday life includes a whole range of duties, requirements and recurring tasks. Often, however, the legal obligations or the achievement of certain cost savings are in the foreground for the management, so that the administrative tasks are often underestimated or even forgotten in their scope and effort.

This includes the usual administrative tasks, such as data maintenance, document management and deadline control, but also fleet-specific administrative tasks, such as task management, vehicle management and control, as well as negotiations with leasing providers, workshops and other service providers. Learn more about the exact tasks and duties of a fleet manager and how you can optimize various tasks.

But it is precisely the sum of these seemingly "smaller" tasks that can hold considerable potential for optimisation, which can make a lasting contribution to achieving certain company goals more quickly. So read on to find out how you can minimise your administrative costs, identify optimisation potentials more quickly and much more.

Did you know that for most companies, fleet costs are the second largest expense after personnel costs? It is therefore extremely important to have transparent cost management in fleet management and to be able to draw up comprehensive and accurate reports and cost analyses.

Fleet costs arise primarily from vehicle procurement, vehicle use and, if necessary, the return of fleet vehicles. The two largest cost blocks in fleet management are fuel costs and the cost of leasing instalments. However, costs resulting from damage or accidents as well as maintenance costs should not be underestimated. Find helpful tips on how to save costs in vehicle procurement and maintenance, here.

Good reporting should enable you to identify both the nature of the fleet and that of the company itself. It is also important to be able to create reports quickly, individually and regularly. This is the only way to ensure effective optimisation and data-driven decision-making.

Read all about cost optimization in fleet management and receive helpful tips and basic information.

Leasing

Leasing is the most popular financing method for vehicle procurement, especially in large companies. In fact, three out of five companies in Europe finance their fleet vehicles via leasing with a kilometre or residual value contract. What you should bear in mind when leasing your fleet, whether leasing is worthwhile for your fleet and how you can avoid over-licences will be explained here shortly.

For fleet managers, there are all kinds of laws and legally binding obligations to comply with. This is because a company or its management is fundamentally subject to owner liability. However, this responsibility can be transferred in whole or in part to individuals, such as the fleet manager.
The duties of a fleet manager therefore include compliance with accident prevention regulations - i.e. driving licence control, proper driver instruction and vehicle inspection - as well as compliance with insurance requirements.

What you should pay particular attention to, how to fulfil all obligations properly and where optimisation potential can be discovered in this area, you will find here shortly.